Fare thee well to my life
by tilldeathdouspart789
Summary: Rukia and Ichigo are homeless and are attacked by a hollow. Ichigo doesn't make it and Rukia has several flashbacks of her life with him. Will they see each other again? Later on IchiRuki. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter1: Alone again

The large creature struck Ichigo's chest. He collapsed beside the petite girl, Rukia. "I'm…Sorry…That I couldn't…Save you. Rukia…" He smiled at the girl, who was in tears.

"Ichigo…Don't go! ICHIGO!!" She yelled as her friend stopped breathing. "Please! Don't…Die, Ichigo. I don't want to be left alone…Please…" She crawled to her friend and nestled her head against his deep red chest. "Ichigo…" She cried and shut her eyes. The hollow came closer to her and cast a tall shadow over the two. "You…You are not getting my friend…You foul…Creature!" She stood up, holding her bleeding arm. "You…Cannot take my friend…From me!" She cried, as she was enveloped in a strong blue energy. She opened her eyes, to reveal them, glowing blue. "You have to go through me, before you can get to him!" She yelled at the creature, in front of her.

The Hollow smirked and threw a fist towards Rukia. But he missed. She had jumped up and landed on his head. She lifted her hand and threw it into the mask. She penetrated it with a large amount of force and it wailed and disintegrated into the air. The energy around her was still an immense blue. She ran to her friend and laid his head on her lap. "Ichigo…" She began to cry, as it started to rain. "ICHIGO!!" She screamed. The energy around her faded and she carried her friend on her back. He wasn't breathing. His heart wasn't beating. She was alone, again…

_FLASH BACK…_

_The rain pelted down. The wind was brewing and the buildings were dim. Thunder cracked in the distance, frightening a young girl. She was curled up in an alley. She was thin and her hair was straggly. Dirt and dry blood covered her entire body. The clothes she had on were torn and dirty. She cried into her knees and held her body, close to her. She was shaking violently in the cold, frightening alley. Every noise that she heard, made her perk up, from a slight rustle to a loud bang. _

_She heard footsteps, coming close to her. The only way in and out. She had no where to go, so she shut her eyes. The tall shadow knelt down to her. The boys face smiled. He lifted her head, so he could see her violet eyes._

"_You look terrible…Let's get you out of the rain, shall we?" He smiled, sweetly at her, as he picked her up. Her body was ice cold and the tears running down her face were hard to see because of the rain. "Geez, you're in pretty bad shape…What's your name?" He smiled, as he took the petite body, down a narrow street._

"_Rukia…Rukia Kuchiki." She stuttered. "I don't know where I am. And I'm scared…" She held the boy's shirt in her long, blue fingers._

_The boy set her down in an old factory, and wrapped her in a blanket. "There…That should keep you warm." He smiled, as he lit a fire. He lit a match and threw it on the pile of old wood, causing it to immediately ignite. "I'm Ichigo, by the way. Ichigo Kurosaki." He spoke, as he was getting his hands, warm on the fire. "I'm going to be 13 in a month…How old are you?" He looked at the girl, who was beginning to get her colour back._

"_12…" She whispered. The fire felt nice on her skin, after the pelting rain. She shut her eyes and leaned on Ichigo's arm. "Thank you…" She whispered. The rain began to let up and the wind stopped. The two sat together in the old factory around the warmth of the fire…_

End of flash back…

Rukia had taken Ichigo to the same abandoned factory that he had taken her, when they first met. She lit a fire and wrapped him in a blanket. She positioned his cold, lifeless body against the wall. "Ichigo…You have been so nice to me…I shouldn't have run off…"

FLASH BACK…

"_Rukia…" Ichigo spoke sweetly at the sleeping girl. "Rukia." He nudged her slightly. "Rukia!" He spoke louder. No response. "HEY RUKIA!" He yelled. Rukia sat up with a fright. She bashed heads with Ichigo, causing Ichigo to stumble back. "Geez, Rukia!" He yelled at her._

"_Well, sorry! You're the one who frightened me!" She yelled at him, rubbing her forehead._

"_Yeah, cuz you didn't respond to me!" He yelled in her face. "I called you three times, before I had to yell!"_

"_Sorry…I'm just not used to being woken up by somebody…" She looked out the opened garage door. The sun was out and the wind was blowing gently. "What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes and let out a stretch._

"_Uuhh…About…six thirty, seven…" Ichigo shrugged, as he dug his hand into a tatty bag. He took out a box of biscuits and took out two. He passed the box to Rukia, and she took out two._

"_Thanks." She said, as she handed the box back to Ichigo, who placed it back in the bag. "Your birthday soon, right?" She began to nibble at the biscuits._

"_Yeah…I'll be 14. Been two years since I met you…" He muttered, as he watched Rukia, daintily eat her biscuits. "…How time flies by…"_

"_Yeah…" Rukia nodded and stood up. "I have something for you, but I have to go and fetch it…I'll be back, soon!" She jumped up and ran out the factory._

"_Wait, Rukia!" He yelled and ran after her. "I'm coming too. Just in case." He smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want anything to happen to you." _

"_Okay." Rukia nodded, and the two made their way to the gift._

"_Are we there, yet…?" Ichigo asked, dragging his feet. "We've been walking for hours!" He mumbled._

"_Oh, stop moaning! We've only been walking for half an hour!" She yelled at him. "We're almost there…" She turned down an alley and stopped. "We're here!" She placed her hands on her hips, as she whistled._

…

_She whistled again. Nothing._

"_I hope…" She walked further into the alley, to find a body at the end. She gasped and stepped back. "No…" She backed up, into Ichigo's chest. He leaned over her shoulder to find a young puppy, lying motionless on the ground. It wasn't breathing…_

"_Rukia, was this…?" Ichigo watched Rukia, shake and cry in his arms. "Rukia."_

_She looked at his face and tears ran down her face. "He was okay, yesterday…He looked happy and healthy. I thought he would make a nice present for you…But…" She ran out of the alley, tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She whispered._

"_Rukia! Come back, Rukia!" Ichigo tried to catch up to her, but she was already gone…_

_She ran a fair distance, and ran down another alley. She sat down and began to cry. She heard several footsteps, walk down the alley. She looked up, to see three men, towering over her._

"_Hehehe…Looky here! A little girl all alone!" The man with a large afro spoke. The two behind him laughed, deviously. "Come on boys!" He yelled, as he cornered Rukia._

"_RUKIA!!" Ichigo ran past the alley, then walked back, seeing the three, surrounding her. He ran and struck the three with his foot. "Get away from her, you creeps!" He yelled._

_The three men whimpered and stumbled out the alley. The shortest one turned back, to see Ichigo, growling at him. He immediately followed the others._

_Ichigo bent down beside Rukia. "You alright?" He hugged her, as she cried._

"_I'm sorry, Ichigo…I was just...I was so upset that the dog…" She stuttered._

"_I know, Rukia. Just promise me that you'll never run away again…" He smiled at her and wiped her eyes._

_She nodded. "I promise…" She smiled and made her way back to the factory with Ichigo…_

End of Flash back.

Rukia looked at the boy, wrapped in a blanket. The flames of the fire created an orange tint, like his hair, and danced around his skin. She smiled, as a tear ran down her face. "I was so young and foolish…You were always there for me. You were my family…" She rubbed her hand down Ichigo's pale face. It was cold.

FLASH BACK…

"_Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, as her friend hit the concrete wall. She ran towards him and cried. "Ichigo! Speak to me!"_

_He opened his eyes, to see Rukia look at him with misty eyes. He smiled at her. "I'm alright, Rukia…Don't worry." He sat up and pushed himself up against the wall. Blood ran down his head onto the ground._

_Rukia turned to the creature in front of her. "I don't know who or what you are, but…" She ran to the beast and kicked its chest. "You have no RIGHT to hurt Ichigo!" She yelled._

_The creature growled and grabbed her leg. It flung her across the ground and badly injured her arm. Her hair straggled down her mucky face. Her tears mixed with the dirt, and created mud dripping from her face. She struggled to get up._

"_Rukia!" Ichigo ran to her and rubbed her face. "Rukia, are you okay?" He asked._

_She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine…Sorry…I'm such a burden Ichigo." She shut her eyes._

_The creature roared, shaking the ground. It charged for Rukia and drooled across the ground. Ichigo ran between Rukia and the creature._

"_You have to go through me to get Rukia!" He frowned at the creature. The hollow grabbed Ichigo in its fist and crushed him. Ichigo coughed up a large amount of blood, and was thrown onto the ground._

"_Ichigo…?" Rukia crawled to Ichigo's body. "ICHIGO!!" She yelled._

End of Flash back.

Rukia began to cry and shriek. "Ichigo, why did you leave me!? I don't want to be alone! Ichigo, please come back!" She cried into his chest. "Don't leave me, Ichigo…I…Ichigo…"

Flying in the factory, was a ghost of a tall, orange-haired boy. His face saddened at the sight of his close friend. A tear ran down his face and fell onto the ground of the factory. "I'm sorry, Rukia…" He spoke, quietly.

All of a sudden, a man, wearing a black Kimono appeared. He had short, spiky hair and a sword. He scowled at the boy and drew out his sword. "You are this girl's friend, correct?" He asked. Ichigo nodded and let out a sigh. "I understand you came in contact with a Hollow, yes?"

"By Hollow, you mean that large creature that killed me, yes." Ichigo spoke to him, quietly.

"Could she see it, too?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ichigo turned to Rukia.

"Go down to her." The boy said, nodding to Rukia and Ichigo's lifeless body. "I'll let you say farewell, before we depart to the soul society."

Ichigo didn't bother asking him any more questions. He just wants to see Rukia, one last time. He drifted behind Rukia and placed a ghostly hand on her shoulder. "Rukia."

Rukia turned, revealing tears, running down her face. She screamed and crawled to the wall. "What do you want!? Please! Don't kill me…"

"Rukia, it's me…Ichigo. I…I'm sorry for leaving you. I didn't want you to get hurt. I'm sorry…" He lowered his head.

Rukia widened her eyes and crawled closer to Ichigo's ghost. She cried and hugged his transparent body. "Ichigo…Thank you so much for protecting me…I shouldn't have tried to deal with it myself. But, I managed to destroy it!" She smiled happily at her friend.

The man folded his hands and smiled. Ichigo hugged his friend, one last time and kissed her forehead. "I have to go, now…"

"Will I…See you again?" Rukia's eyes sparkled at him.

He smiled. "Who knows?" He shrugged and floated up to the man in the kimono.

"Ready?" He asked, wielding his sword.

"Will I see her again?" Ichigo asked him.

"It's likely…" He hit Ichigo's forehead with the hilt of the sword. "Now, come…We are leaving."

Ichigo smiled and turned round to see Rukia, caressing his body. He shut his eyes and mouthed three little words, before disappearing into the darkness…


	2. Chapter2: From loneliness, to loneliness

The sun beamed through the black clouds and the puddles on the wet ground sparkled and shimmered. The trees began to whisper as the warm breeze rushed through them. It was a lovely, summer day in Karakura. But that didn't mean it was a happy one…

Rukia awoke with the cold feeling of isolation. She was alone. The fire had gone out, and her clothes were still damp. She shivered and grabbed a box of food. She nibbled at the food, as she remembered the night before…

FLASHBACK

_Ichigo had disappeared into the night, with the black-haired man. As he left, Rukia felt a sensation of happiness. Ichigo didn't want to see her suffer. He didn't want her to feel sad, but she wouldn't stop crying._

_She hauled Ichigo's body over her shoulder and took the cold, lifeless body into the forest. It was almost three miles out of Karakura, but it was worth it. She laid his tall, muscular body against a large oak tree, which shielded the two from the rain. Rukia panted and gasped for breath. She has never travelled this far, carrying a burden. She laid her head on his cold chest and whispered, quietly to him._

"_You know…You're really heavy. Don't worry, I'm alright. Remember this place? We used to come here when we were young. You always sat here, remember?" She let out a nervous laugh and stood up. She began digging under the oak tree. _

_It was difficult, since the mud was filling it back up, but she didn't stop. Sweat and blood covered her hands, but she didn't stop. The rain became torrential and thunder echoed through the blackened sky, but she didn't stop. Her mind was concentrating on her friend, watching her from wherever he was. She tried not to cry, and worry him. Her heart was still in tact and she wanted it to be that way. _

_When she finished digging the gaping hole in the soil, she picked up her friend and gently laid him into the shallow grave. Rukia let out a warm smile and a tear dripped onto Ichigo's body. It had landed on his cheek, looking as if it was his own tear. She caressed his cheek with her dirty, red hands before filling up the grave. She softly patted the compacted soil and placed a Gomphrena Haageana* into the soil, where Ichigo's heart lies. Rukia whispered goodbye to the grave and walked into the stormy night. Her hands, clenched into slight fists as she tried to hold back her tears._

_When she arrived back at the factory, she built up a fire, but it didn't feel warm. The flames were dancing around the room, but they did not heat Rukia's frozen heart. She felt as if her life had been all for nothing. That her chance meeting with Ichigo had been all but a dream. She felt no reason to live, but she didn't want her close friend to feel as if he was the reason for her to suffer. She couldn't. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, still cold and wet. The pain in her hands didn't bother her, since she could barely feel them._

End of flashback.

She walked outside, rubbing her eyes as the light penetrated her skin. She looked up at the birds, flying happily together. She saw several people walking down the nearby street with smiles on there faces. They didn't know what had just happened. They didn't care.

Even if they did know, they wouldn't care that Rukia was left alone, again. Nothing could heal the wound, hidden deep within her heart. The pain was just too deep to get rid of.

Rukia decided to take a walk down the quiet streets, where nobody could hear her reminiscing. She came across a small, run-down house and stared into the garden…

FLASHBACK

"_Sweety, we're leaving!" A woman's voice shouted into the large house. "I'll see you tonight, okay Rukia?" She spoke, as a little girl came running down the stairs._

"_Bye, mommy!" She ran into the woman's arms. "See you tonight!" She said, happily as she watched her mother go._

_The woman stepped into her deep red car and drove off. She waved, happily to the young Rukia, smiling in the doorway. She was holding a rabbit teddy in her hand._

End of flashback.

Rukia opened the rusted gate and looked into one of the broken windows. Cobwebs and dust filled the room. Rukia smiled softly as she opened the crooked door. "I didn't know how long she actually was…Mother…" A tear ran down her face, as she saw a photo of her mother on the drawers, beside the door.

FLASHBACK

_It was 9:45. Rukia was upstairs, playing with her toys. She looked at the chappy-shaped clock in her room and frowned. "Mommy's not back yet…She said she would be back before six." Rukia stood up and grabbed her stuffed rabbit. She headed downstairs, into the living room. She turned on the T.V, to see an emergency live broadcast._

_It was of an accident at a large building in central Tokyo. Rukia's eyes widened. "mommy…" A tear ran down her face, as she saw a thin woman with long wavy hair, lying on a stretcher. She had blood over her eye and she was barely breathing._

_Rukia watched, as her mouth opened and she mouthed three words 'I'm…Sorry…Rukia…', before she left. The reporter declared that there were no survivors in the accident. _

_They replayed security camera footage. The reporter said that there was nothing there, and that the building collapsed in on itself. But that wasn't what Rukia saw; she saw a large creature, with a hole in its stomach, and the face was hidden behind a strange mask. It slashed the side of the building, then all of a sudden, a man in a black kimono came and slashed the creature in two. The man had short, black hair and a sword in his hand. The creature collapsed, and disappeared, and so did the man, revealing a large amount of dust. _

_Rukia watched in fear, as they replayed the tape, over and over. Every eye witness said that there was nothing there. Why? Rukia screamed and dropped her Rabbit on the ground. "MOMMY!" Her scream echoed through the barren house. She was alone. Her mother had gone, and she had to survive by herself._

End of flashback.

A tear ran down Rukia's face as she saw the old, tatty stuffed toy in front of her. She picked it up and saw that the stuffing had come out. She didn't care, and hugged it close to her chest. "Why did this happen to me? First my mother, now Ichigo…Am I not supposed to be happy?" She stuttered to herself. She wiped her misty eyes and looked at the T.V. It was still in one piece, so the turned it on. Inside the video recorder, was a tape of the accident. She decided to play, and, little by little, she began to ponder why the people in the building weren't surprised to see that large creature out the made no sense…

She rewound the tape, over and over, seeing nobody respond to the creature, which was slowly heading towards the building. Unless… "Couldn't they see it? But, why can I see it?" She groaned loudly and punched the bookcase, positioned beside the T.V.

She punched it, so hard, that it fell over. She managed to jump back in time, but was hit with a blast of dust. She choked for a few minutes, then opened her eyes. "What the!?" She walked to the wall, behind the book case, to find an old journal, written by Rukia in her younger days. "I remember this…" She opened the first page and began to read…

FLASHBACK

_Dear Diary,_

_I went to mommy's grave again today. I told her that she shouldn't worry. I can take care of myself. The nice shop keeper down the street, Mr Urahara, has given me some food. I paid him by, helping him at the shop. Mr Tessai taught me how to cook. I'm really good at it! I miss Mommy, but I don't want her to feel bad for leaving me. It wasn't her fault. It was that giant creature's fault, but I'm glad that the man came and destroyed it! But, whenever I tell somebody, they laugh at me and say that there wasn't any monster…But I saw it! I showed them the video I took of the accident, but they still didn't believe me. But, Mr Urahara did. He said that they were called hollows…And they are really bad. That man who came, was a Shinigami. That's like a grim reaper, but protects people. He said they are really nice and friendly! I wish I can meet one. I want to be one when I grow up, but Mr Urahara said I can't…I wonder why? Whenever I ask him, he just says that only people with high spirit energy can become Shinigamis…_

_Rukia put down the pen and took out some colouring pencils. She began to draw a picture of a man on the Diary. It seemed to be wearing a striped hat and a big cloak. In his hand, he held a fan up to his face and in the other, he had a cane. Next to the 'kiddy sketch' was an arrow saying 'Mr. .' Rukia smiled as she shut the book and slipped it behind the bookcase._

End of flashback.

"I should go and see this 'Mr '. He may tell me about that creature, now that I have nothing else to lose…" Rukia shut the book and placed it into the tattered bag, she was carrying.

She made her way upstairs and into her old room. The wallpaper was mouldy and ripping off. The curtains were torn and blowing about in the wind. Rukia sat herself on her old bed and continued to read the diary, until nightfall. She had written so much about her few months of staying in the house. The last one, written was the most disturbing of all…

FLASHBACK

_Dear Diary,_

_I have to leave, tomorrow. I don't like this house, anymore. At night, I hear creepy noises and they scare me…I hear loud screams and yells, as if there is something here that is in pain. It tries to speak to me and calls my name, several times in the night…I'm scared. My dreams are getting worse, too. I see a tall man with brown hair, smiling at me deviously. He tells me that he is my father and takes me to a huge white palace, where he tells me to kill people…I saw my mother with him and she was talking to me not nicely. It made me sad and I can't stay here anymore. If anyone finds this, I'll probably be out on the streets, somewhere, cold and wet. But at least I won't be having these dreams! So, Diary, this is farewell…_

_At the bottom, Rukia begins to draw a giant creature and the man with black hair, striking the creature with his sword. It was a very well drawn picture, and behind the man, was her mother. Rukia cried as she drew the picture and placed it behind the Bookcase, one more time. She dropped her rabbit on the floor and headed out the door, into the cold air of the night._

End of flashback

Rukia shivered, as she remembered hearing the noises in the night. The screeches, the yells, the screams, all of them made her shake with fear. She remembered the thought of lonesomeness, as she stayed in this huge house by herself, only to be accompanied by her rabbit and the ghostly shadows in the night. Her heart began to pound, as she heard someone, ease up the barren staircase. A shadow crawled up her wall, as the door opened, slowly. Rukia screamed and scrunched up. She shut her misty, violet eyes and waited for something to happen. She wanted it to be a dream, she wanted it to just be in her mind, but she felt the person walk closer to her. The shadow towered over Rukia's petite body and Rukia shut her eyes, tighter. _Let it be a dream, please be a dream, I don't want to die…_

**Thank you to all the people who review this. I'm very happy on how this story is working out so far!**

***Gomphrena Haageana is a plant, with a flower that resembles a red strawberry. It also means immortal love. I though it would be appropriate for this story.**


	3. Chapter3: The man with a stripy hat

"Rukia." The man spoke, softly to the cowering girl. He let out a smile from under his stripy hat. "I haven't seen you for a while, how are you?"

Rukia opened her eyes, slightly to see the blonde haired man, with a fan up to his face. "Mr…Urahara?"

The man stepped back and snapped the fan shut. "You remembered me! I'm so happy!" He smiled at her confused expression.

FLASHBACK

"_Stop it! Let go!" Rukia screamed, as the man tugged on her rabbit. "Chappy's mine! Let go of him!!" She began to cry._

_The man gasped and let go of the rabbit, causing Rukia to fall back. "Wh-what the Hell!?" He stepped back, as a large footprint appeared in front of the two._

_ROAAR!!_

"_Where the hell did that footprint come from!?" The man stepped back. "I-I'm getting o-outa 'ere!" He ran for cover, leaving Rukia on the floor._

_Rukia cried and shook with fear, as she saw the creature. It was only a blur, but it was there, no doubt. She saw it come closer to her and it lifted up a large hand. She shut her eyes, waiting for the pain. But, nothing came. She opened her eyes, to see a man, wearing a large cloak, standing in front of her._

_He turned, slightly, revealing a smirk. "You better get out of here, little one. Unless you want to be eaten." He turned his head and drew out a sword from his cane. "Oh, my…More Hollows are appearing every day." He swung his sword at the creature and slashed its mask. It screeched, before it disappeared. The man sheathed his sword and turned to face Rukia. "I thought I told you to get away from here…" He bent to Rukia, who was shaking. "You could see it, couldn't you?" _

_Rukia nodded, as she held her rabbit close to her chest. Tears ran down her face and she swallowed hard. "Is it dead, Mr?" She stuttered._

_The man laughed and placed a hand on Rukia's head. "Yes, there is no need to be afraid, little one. What's your name?" He spoke softly to her. "I'm Kisuke Urahara."_

_Rukia stood up and bowed, politely. "My name's Rukia Kuchiki. It's nice to meet you, Mr Urahara!" She smiled. _

End of flashback.

Rukia let out a smile. "Kisuke…How are you?" She wiped her damp eyes. "Why are you here?"

Kisuke chuckled. "I've been coming here to just clear my head. It's a good place to go if you have doubts." He shrugged. "Plus, I was waiting for you."

"You knew I would come back?" Rukia stood up and headed to the window. The smashed glass scattered across the sill, making it as deadly as a jagged blade. She lowered her head and let out a sigh. "I'm…All alone, again. First my mother, now Ichigo…"

Kisuke looked at her. "Ichigo? You mean, Kurosaki?" He asked her quizzically.

Rukia turned and nodded. "Mmhm. You know him?"

He let out a slight smirk. "You could say that…I know his family."

"Ichigo's family? I thought that they had died. That's why he became homeless in the first place! Are you telling me they're still alive!?" Rukia let out a tear, which ran down her face onto her hand.

Kisuke stood up and placed his hands on Rukia's shoulder. "Listen to me…You and Ichigo are not normal humans…I have never seen another human that can see Hollows." Kisuke quickly changed the subject.

"H-Hollows? What are they?" Rukia tilted her head, as Kisuke released his grip on Rukia.

"The large creature that attacked you and Ichigo, was a Hollow. They are evil spirits that feed on humans with high spirit energy. You and Ichigo have immense spirit energy…Have you not noticed that Ichigo's spirit energy has gone?"

Rukia turned her head. "I…Feel an empty part of my heart. Is that his spirit energy?" She looked at him.

"Yes. Come with me." Kisuke held out a hand to Rukia.

She grabbed it, without hesitation, taking the diary with her. She felt a little uneasy, but still trusted the man. He saved her from that creature, the 'Hollow', years ago.

Rukia remembered the time Ichigo had taken her hand for the first time…

FLASHBACK

_The snow was falling down onto the cold, icy ground, making it dangerous and slippy. The sun was beaming, reflecting off the small, soft fluffs of snow, falling gently onto the ground. The area around the factory was covered with a sheet of ice, as if it was a moat. _

_A sudden sharp wind, crawled into the factory. Ichigo shivered, as he tried to get a fire going, but with no luck. The wood was wet, from the snow, and even if he did manage to get it lit, the air was too bitterly cold, for you to feel a difference in temperature. Eventually, the wood set alight, flicking up a bright orange flame. The light lit up the rest of the large, barren factory. As Ichigo warmed his hands, Rukia came in from outside, with pale skin._

_Ichigo turned to look at her, and ran towards her, to wrap a blanket round her shoulders. "Rukia! Are you alright? You look freezing!" He guided her to the fire, and sat her as close as possible to the flame, making sure that the blanket wouldn't catch fire. "Any luck?" He looked at her, from the other side of the fire._

_Rukia shook her head and bit her blue lip. "No…I can't get to the street. It's just too slippy and icy. The wind's too cold for you to even walk…" She hung her head low. "Looks like we're stuck here for a while…"_

_After Rukia was able to get warm, she headed back out with Ichigo. They decided to give it another shot, since they didn't have much to eat. This time, they managed to get to the busy street and get some food. On the way back, it became a treacherous blizzard and they had to walk across a dangerous sheet of thick ice. The two slowly made their way across. They were hardly even moving, and they were having difficulty keeping their footing._

_Ichigo managed to get to the other side and waited for Rukia. When she was near to the end, she lost her footing and fell._

"_Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, as he managed to grab her hand, before she fell forward. "You alright?" He asked, worriedly at his terrifyingly blue friend._

"_Yeah. I'm alright." Rukia nodded and tried to hide a blush that would have been visible even in the blizzard. Ichigo had never held her hand before…_

_All the way back, Ichigo held Rukia's hand and led her, to make sure that it wouldn't be her to slip on the ice. He had a determined look on his face, to get Rukia back safely. He wanted to protect Rukia from anything…_

_When they arrived back at the factory, the two huddled together in the thick, tattered blanket. Rukia wouldn't stop blushing, but Ichigo just thought that she had a fever, because of the cold, so he just ignored it. Rukia fell asleep on his warm, muscular chest. Ichigo watched, as the small girl gently rose, then fell. Her breathing matched Ichigo's perfectly. He smiled, softly and rubbed her soft, raven hair. It was the first time they had cuddled up together, but it was also the first freezing night, since they met. _

"_Rukia…" Ichigo sighed, as the girl held herself closer to Ichigo. And shortly after that, Ichigo fell asleep, too…_

End of flashback.

Rukia blushed, as she remembered her and Ichigo, lying together in the cold factory, staying warm by only each other's body heat. She felt a shiver go down her spine, as she felt the same cold weather from her memory.

"Rukia, you okay? You've been blanked out all the time we've walked." Kisuke spoke to the teen behind him.

Her blush faded, as she realised that they were near Urahara's shop. "Oh! Sorry, Mr Urahara…" Rukia rubbed her neck and turned red of embarrassment. She stopped, as she saw a black cat, sitting on the tall concrete wall, surrounding the shop.

Its eyes were a luminous yellow and its fur was a silky black. The alluring eyes, watched Rukia. They didn't move from her, until the cat jumped down from the wall and ran to the back of the shop.

"That was weird…I swear that cat was watching me…I saw its ears perk up, too…" Rukia spoke to herself silently, as Kisuke opened the door.

He introduced her to a tall, muscular man, called Tessai, and two young kids, Ururu and Jinta. He told her that they could all see Hollows' too.

He went through his back room and came across a small box. The box had a strange skull emblem on it, which seemed to be watching everything in the room. He threw it onto the ground, beside Rukia. "Here. This might come in handy…" He smiled, as Rukia opened the box.

It was a cell phone…Or was it?

Rukia picked it up. "A cell phone?" She scanned it, to find nothing peculiar about it.

"Close. It's actually a soul pager! Shinigami's use these to find Hollows." Kisuke announced, as he threw a small sword in a sheath at Rukia. "These'll come in handy, too!"

Rukia looked at the sword's hilt. "I can't use THIS!"

Kisuke frowned. "How not?"

"Because I don't know how to use this thing!" Rukia began swinging it whilst it was still in the sheath. It was a good thing, too, since she came close to hitting Kisuke's face.

"Hmmm…I _could _teach you." Kisuke opened his fan and covered his face. "On one condition. You speak of this to no-one."

Rukia looked away and shut her eyes. Who _could _she tell? The people she comes in contact with, she doesn't even trust to speak to them. The only three people she knew well enough to talk to, was Kisuke, her mother, and Ichigo. She then remembered the time Ichigo had promised her to keep a secret…

FLASHBACK

"_You're not eating, Ichigo?" Rukia asked the boy, offering a box of food to him._

_He shook his head and pushed the food away. "Not hungry…" He said, coldly to her._

"_Geez, Ichigo. What's wrong with you today? You've been acting different. Is something wrong?" Rukia sat forward and looked at her sad friend._

_He let out a sigh and scowled. "I-It's nothing…" He refused to look at Rukia in the eyes._

"_Oh…Okay, I understand. But…" She paused, as Ichigo turned to see her smiling, softly. "…If you want to tell me in your own time, then, that's okay." She shut her eyes, and smiled happily at him._

_Ichigo let out a slight smile and nodded. He then laid back and sighed. "Rukia, can you promise me to keep a secret?"_

_Rukia looked at her friend and nodded. "Yeah, sure…"_

"_My family…Is a royal family. The Kurosaki family."_

"_You're telling me, your families rich!?" Rukia jumped up. "Why did you leave?"_

"_Because…My mother was murdered…After she died, my father and my twin sister's went missing…I've never seen them since." He shut his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Today, June 17__th__, was that day."_

_Rukia's eyes narrowed and she lowered her head. "How sad…You were deserted by your family…That must have been hell." She looked back at Ichigo, who just stared at the ceiling. She crawled closer to him and laid her hand on his chest. "I promise to keep it a secret forever…There's no need for you to feel anymore pain. You should just let it go, Ichigo. I have, so why don't you?" She smiled._

_Ichigo smiled quietly and continued to look at the ceiling…_

End of flashback.

Rukia looked up at Kisuke. "I promise." She nodded.

Kisuke snapped his fan shut and made his way to his basement. "Good…Follow me, then." He spoke, as he lifted up the trap door. "I'm going to train you, so you can protect this town. You do understand that, don't you?"

Rukia nodded. "Yes."

**I'm not as happy with this one, than I wanted to be. But, I assure you, that the next one will be better! Writer's promise! ; P**


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